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‘Because I love you’ program a step in the right direction

Early Sunday morning, at approximately 5 a.m., a fatal crash occurred at the intersection of College Avenue and Mitsubishi Motorway, which took the life of Illinois State University student Jacob Garber. Alcohol was in the system of Braiton A. Holloway, who is currently being held for Aggravated DUI at McLean County Jail. Garber is yet another innocent victim who was taken from us too early, which happens too often. According to thecenturycouncil.org, 276 alcohol impaired fatalities happened in Illinois in the year 2011 alone.

Although the website above mentions that in the last 10 years DUI fatalities have decreased in Illinois, the Town of Normal has decided something has to be done to try to prevent young adults from getting behind the wheel after a night of drinking. Cases like Garbers’s should not happen with such frequency, and parents are afraid for their kids when they go out, and rightfully so. Normal’s response to this frightening trend is the “Because I love you” Campaign, geared towards junior high and high school students. The Campaign will be carried out by the Bloomington-Normal Parent Program. The campaign aims to encourage parents to talk to their children about underage drinking, overall safety and tips about how to carry out the conversation.

This editorial board loves what the parents are trying to do to protect young adults. Yes, young adults are going to party, and they like to party, but something needs to be done to prevent young adults from making ignorant decisions when they drink. Preventing these people from drinking will be nearly impossible, but they need to be more aware of the consequences of their actions when they have been drinking.

In regards to the “Because I love you” program, parents of the teenagers targeted should try to understand why these kids drink instead of just telling them to stop. Drinking can help kids fit in with the rest, muster up the courage to ask someone out, etc. If this program can actually get parents to understand the true intentions behind their child’s drinking, this program could actually work.

The goal of this program should not be to completely eradicate teenage drinking; it should be geared towards helping teens make better decisions.

Teenage drinking will never cease to exist. The life of a teenager is a complicated one, and it is unlike any other time period of someone’s life. They feel the need to fit in and be noticed, and in order to fit these qualifications, alcohol could potentially be involved. Even with people a little older, this can be the case. But, repercussions must be understood before someone chooses to drink, and this is exactly what the “Because I love you” program aims to do.